Cointreau + Eye Swoon Rooftop Soirée

Photo by Winnie Au

I was recently invited to the most gorgeous rooftop soirée hosted by Athena Calderone of the lifestyle blog Eye Swoon and Cointreau liqueur.  The event was hosted at Ms. Calderone's Dumbo rooftop that overlooks the Manhattan skyline, and delicious edibles were provided by Franny's of Brooklyn.  Chef John Adler put together a lovely menu of seasonal, elevated-yet-rustic cuisine.  For those of you who have not yet visited Franny's - run, don't walk, to this gem of a neighborhood eatery.

Orange & Chile Apothic Rose Spritz

-sponsored-

You look like you need a drink.  It's five o'clock somewhere - actually it's five o'clock here and now.

How about something refreshing.  Something summery, sweet, with a little kick of spice?  Sounds delicious?  How about I'll throw in a bit of seltzer in there too, so you'll be secretly hydrating?  Cool?

Avuá Cachaça - Pan Am Cocktail

I was recently introduced to Avuá Cachaça, a relatively new cachaça on the market.  After a boozy night out on the town touring some of New York City's best bars, including Sasha Petrosky's famed Milk & Honey, I'm convinced that this is a bottle I want to keep in my library of libations.

You might be wondering, what the *#&^ is cachaça, and how the *#&^ do I pronounce it? Cachaça (kah-SHAH-sah) is a Brazilian spirit that is distilled from Sugar Cane Juice.  It is also known as aguardente, pinga, caninha, and can be attributed to the Portuguese colonization of South America. 

While most people know cachaça as "Brazilian Rum", it in fact has a very different flavor profile.  Tasting Avuá (av-wah) was honestly one of my first experiences with cachaça, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Avuá is made by one of Brazil's only female distillers, and the brand invokes 1950's bossanova Brasil.  Think the golden age of travel, classic 50's cars, and the gorgeous beaches of Brasil...

Avuá Cachaça comes in two expressions, the Avuá Cachaça Prata (unaged), and Avuá Cachaça Amburana (aged).  This is where cachaça becomes really interesting: it is aged in 28 different kinds of wood native to South America!  And each wood has it's own flavors that come from the specific type of wood and the terroir of the land, all of which are imparted to the cachaça! 

Avuá Cachaça Prata is more grassy and floral on the nose, mixed with some of the expected tropical fruit flavors.  On the palate it has a dry creamy entry, which then blossoms into flavors of tropical fruits such as banana and mango with a hot peppery note, and a finishes with mint and a touch of salt.  Compared to Avuá Cachaça Amburana, aged 2 years in Amburana Cearensis wood, has a resin flavor on the nose, with tropical fruits, Jasmine, and a lot of brown sugar.  On the mouth it starts out clean and creamy, and then opens to flavors of pepper, a bite of tannin at the back of the palate, followed by a smooth, creamy finish reminiscent of flan. 

This is good stuff, people.  And mixed with cocktails, it's even better.

My favorite cocktail of the evening was the Pan-Am, a surprisingly simple yet dangerously strong cocktail made with the Amburana expression.  Word to the wise, be careful with these bad boys, after a few you'll be ready to book a flight to Brazil, perhaps never to return from the land of this água-benta.

Avuá Pan Am 
Created by Cervantes Ramirez - Little Branch

2oz. Avuá Cachaça Amburana
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/4 oz. dry vermouth

Stir with ice, and strain onto a large ice cube in a low ball glass. Swipe rim of glass with orange peel, squeeze, and drop into the glass.

Note: This variation is different than the one listed on the Avuá website.  It's damn good none the less.

Stir.

Strain.

Swipe.

Enjoy.

Dita Von Teese on Entertaining & Berry Rickeys

So we hear you're throwing a party.  Stumped as to what you should serve?   Luckily, we've got some tips for you from the one and only Dita Von Teese, legendary burlesque star, charmer, and man-tamer. 

I was recently invited into the home of legendary Dita Von Teese with cocktail guru Kyle Ford for a cocktail seminar (virtually, but lets all just pretend I was there in person).  Ms Teese welcomed us into her kitchen, flanked with bamboo cabinetry filled with vintage glasses, and lined with pink vintage-inspired wallpaper.  Ms Teese also shared some of her best hostess tips and tricks to throwing a successful party.

The pair showed viewers how to set up a proper Cointreau Rickey Bar, complete with fresh berries, fresh mint, fresh lime juice, and Perrier to top off your cocktails.  For those of you who have not yet enjoyed one of these tipples, let me tell you, they are wonderful.  The muddled fresh and mint fruit makes the Berry Rickey not only a visually gorgeous cocktail, but also a delicious when prepared with Cointreau.  The berry flavors work well with the natural orange oil used to make the liqueur, and make it fresh and refreshing.  But fear not, booze hounds, Cointreau comes in at a mighty 80 proof, meaning, it will hold its own in any cocktail.  
 

You're probably wondering at this point what makes a good hostess?  Let me assure you it does not require you to wiggle around in a giant martini glass wearing tasseled pasties (although one could)!  You should enjoy yourself at your party, so keep it simple and glamorous, Dita says.  Pick cocktails with two to three ingredients so they are easy to make.  After all, the hostess should be able to have a fabulous time, and shouldn't be spending the whole night in the kitchen.  That would be quite a bore.

Set out a bar with fresh fruit in vintage silver bowls, and fresh mint in vases.  Provide vintage inspired cocktail stirrers, ice cast into large cubes and chill in vintage silver ice buckets, and serve cocktails in unique vintage glasses to help your guest distinguish their cocktails from anothers'. Set up more than enough glasses ahead of time, and position them near your bottles of Cointreau and Perrier.  Make the first round for your guests, but teach them as you go, so guests can help themselves when they're ready for another.

Re-vamp classic nibbles like deviled eggs with spices such as curry or paprika, and prep them before hand so you don't have to tend to them during the party.  

Another one of Dita's party tips is to have fun activities for your guests.  Her legendary parties include games, performances, and even hula hooping lessons.  This will keep your guests entertained and make your party memorable.

Always buy fresh flowers, and don't forget to dress the part, Ms Teese is one to dress according to theme, as are her guests!  One of her favorite party attires are vintage 1940's pajama gowns.  She recommends being overdressed rather than under-dressed, after all, you never know who might arrive on your doorstep!

And when Mr Handsome does arrive on your doorstep, make him a Berry Rickey, a cocktail that is guaranteed to impress! 

The Cointreau Berry Rickey

2 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Fresh lime juice
2 Blackberries
2 Raspberries
5 Mint leaves
3-4 oz. Club Soda or Seltzer


Muddle the berries and mint in the bottom of a glass.  Build cocktail with remaining ingredients and ice.  Stir briefly.  Garnish with raspberry and blackberry on a pick and a mint sprig. 



Cheers!